Handstand, short HS, is a balance element on two or one hand with the body in an inverted position (head down, feet up) and the most fundamental and characteristic element of Acrobatic Gymnastics. In no other gymnastics sport are handstands performed on such a high level. In artistic gymnastics One Arm Handstands are very rarely seen, while they are common in Acro. Based on the orientation of the body in the handstand, there are different categories of handstands:
A: Straight Variations
B: Arched Variations
C: Piked Variations
D: Flagged Variations
D1: Gripped Flags
Inversion, ToDo
Category B: Arch Handstands, …, an Arch of more than X° is called a Deep Arch.
Category C: Piked Handstands, also called L-Handstands, since the body forms an inverted L, in English most often called “Seven”, since the body has the form of a “7”. A variation of the Seven is the “4”, which is like a seven, but with one leg bent, resulting in a shape remeniscient of the “4”. Another handstand variation technically belonging to this category, that is not part of the official handstand elements, but is a fundamental position in training, is what we call the “Deep Pike”. Galina Sinyavskaya calls it “Visulka”, Sergej X describes it as the “Icycle”. This is a handstand in which the legs point vertically down, held close to the chest like in a seated or standing pike, while holding a handstand and keeping the hip above the shoulders, heavily resisting in the shoulders to not fall forward.
Category D: Flags, … A Flag with the legs oriented downwards in an angle of 30-45° is called a Deep Flag.
Category D1: Gripped Flags, …
Figa is a One Arm Handstand from the category of piked handstands with a 45° rotation of the back with the legs held horizontally to the floor. A Figa where the back is twisted so much that the legs are not oriented sideways but behind the body we refer to as an Over-Figa. A Figa in which the legs are not held horizontally but pointing downwards as in a “Deep Pike” (Visulka or Icycle), we refer to as a “Deep Figa”. Both Over-Figa and Deep-Figa are not yet categorized as unique handstands in the ToD.